Haitians thank God rather than rescue workers

[Enmos]

I am a first time poster in these forums, but after reading through this thread I feel a need to point something out.

As a rescuer myself hearing someone say "thank God" is not insulting. For one, I'm ofen saying it myself when I find someone alive, especially if they are in good condition. Search and Rescue is a very intensive task, exhausting both mentally and physically, and though in disasters such as Haiti or Katrina we (rescuers) tend to become almost numb after a while, each time someone is pulled from the rubble alive it is a reason to celebrate. In this job you have to prepare yourself mentally for the worst, and when you find someone alive it is a reason to keep going.

Unless you've been out there digging through debris and have found yet another dead body, or another live one, you cannot know what that feels like.

If someone is saying "thank God" or "thank goodness" what does it matter? The rescuers themselves are generally thankful to find them, otherwise they wouldn't be out there searching. Finding someone alive gives rescuers reason to hope, to keep searching in very bad conditions and odds. So, as a rescuer, does hearing someone say "Thank God" instead of "Thank you" insult me? Not at all.

Then again, I am just one of many, but the many I know across America, British Columbia, and a few other countries hold these same views.

No offense is intended towards anyone, I just felt that another pov needed to be represented here.

Thank you Tanglewood
So the thought "God doesn't have anything to do with it" never once entered you mind?
Are you a believer yourself?

P.S.
Welcome to SciForums, Tanglewood!

 

[S.A.M.]

Tanglewood:

Thanks, great post

Word of caution: don't answer this question

Are you a believer yourself?

Not a good idea to expose any religious inclinations at sciforums

Otherwise, welcome.

 

[John99]

Not my argument. Yours?

But they weren't. Unlike Cuba.

Haiti has been oppressed, freed, fought for, fought against, invaded, led, and populated, by the most strongly religious people in the hemisphere, throughout its history.

All of the benefits of the superior charity of the religious, the superior community support, and so forth, have been given to Haiti.

Are you delirious or something?

 

[Tanglewood]

So the thought "God doesn't have anything to do with it" never once entered you mind?
Are you a believer yourself?

P.S.
Welcome to SciForums, Tanglewood!

Thank you for the welcome

Truthfully I have thought both ways at times--understandable I think when pulling the body of a child from debris...., but in the end I've found that whether or not someone believes in God does not necessarily affect their actions. I have seen "Christians" behave like the worst scum on earth and Athiests behave like saints. The same for many other religions and cultures I have come into contact with. All can be good, bad, hypocritical... the best we can do is govern our own actions and hope to set a good example and affect someone's life for the better. Again, this is just my personal opinion

 

[stateofmind]

People are being saved from underneath the rumble by the hard working rescue workers, and the first thing they say is "Thank you, God, for saving me." Sometimes it's the bystanders too.
It's embarrassing!

Can anyone help me understand why they would thank God rather than the rescue workers?

Maybe only the ones that prayed got rescued? :shrug:

 

[Tanglewood]

Tanglewood:

Thanks, great post

Word of caution: don't answer this question



Not a good idea to expose any religious inclinations at sciforums

Otherwise, welcome.

Thanks Sam, I appreciate the heads up. Personally I find it humorous how people tend to think that belief in God(s) automatically cause a person to lose their ability to reason

 

[Enmos]

Thank you for the welcome

Truthfully I have thought both ways at times--understandable I think when pulling the body of a child from debris...., but in the end I've found that whether or not someone believes in God does not necessarily affect their actions. I have seen "Christians" behave like the worst scum on earth and Athiests behave like saints. The same for many other religions and cultures I have come into contact with. All can be good, bad, hypocritical... the best we can do is govern our own actions and hope to set a good example and affect someone's life for the better. Again, this is just my personal opinion

I fully agree actually. Wonderful post

 

[Enmos]

Tanglewood:

Thanks, great post

Word of caution: don't answer this question



Not a good idea to expose any religious inclinations at sciforums

Otherwise, welcome.

Thanks Sam, I appreciate the heads up. Personally I find it humorous how people tend to think that belief in God(s) automatically cause a person to lose their ability to reason

Hrm. I just thought that if you (Tangle) are religious yourself you would possibly agree with them that it was God that directed you to them.
Naturally, then, it would be out of the question to find hearing a "Thank God!" offensive.
So it was a very relevant question.



:shh: Never listen to SAM when it comes to atheists. She hates them

 

[sifreak21]

God sent the workers

god sent the earthquake not the workers tbqh

 

[sifreak21]

Thanks Sam, I appreciate the heads up. Personally I find it humorous how people tend to think that belief in God(s) automatically cause a person to lose their ability to reason

is that not a good assumption? what reason do you have for beliving in god? there is not a shred of hard proof that god exsist so if you reason that a being said BOOM BAM let there be humans.. how can you reason logically at all?

 

[Tanglewood]

Not a problem Enmos, quite relevant in asking if I believe it was divinely directed (if I may rephrase how I'm understanding what you said?) or not

As for liking or disliking atheists, that is probably a discussion for a different thread, but I don't think (again, me personally) that a person's religion or lack there of dictates their actions. They themselves do

 

[Enmos]

Not a problem Enmos, quite relevant in asking if I believe it was divinely directed (if I may rephrase how I'm understanding what you said?) or not

Yep, that is what I meant.

As for liking or disliking atheists, that is probably a discussion for a different thread, but I don't think (again, me personally) that a person's religion or lack there of dictates their actions. They themselves do

I know, that was just tongue-in-cheek.. well, somewhat

 

[Tanglewood]

is that not a good assumption? what reason do you have for beliving in god? there is not a shred of hard proof that god exsist so if you reason that a being said BOOM BAM let there be humans.. how can you reason logically at all?

well sifreak... what I do know is that something in science cannot be proven true, only that it isn't true. So my return question would be, where is proof that a god does not exist?

As this is off of the main topic/question Enmos first presented I won't be going any further with this particular question, but feel free to send me a message and I will answer as soon as I can (I can't send messages till I hit 20 posts)

Sorry Enmos!